Device for setting backfires



A. B. EVERTS DEVICE FOR SETTING BACKFIRES Dec. 4, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 22, 1947 INVENTOR. A.B. EVERTS BY 79%: m

Dec. 4, 1951 B, E R S 2,576,930 I DEVICE FOR SETTING BACKFIRES Filed April 22. 1947 4" Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 36 A.B.EVERTS BY ?m 1951 A. B. E\IIERTS 1 2,576,930

DEVICE FOR SETTING BACKFIRES Filed April 22, 1947 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 {NEEVERTS BY 51. $0442 INVENTOR.

Dec. 4, 1951 BREVERTS 2,576,930

' DEVICE FOR SETTING BACKFIRES Filed April 22. 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 If ft .6.

A fi 8 Patented Dec. 4, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR, SETTINGBACKFIRES Ambrose'B. Everts, Seattle,- Wash. Application April 22, 1947, Serial No. 743,212

2 Claims. (01. 126-2712) G [ranted under the act of March 3, .1883, as

This application is made under theact of .March 3, 1883, as amended by the act of April allowed to burn toward the main. flame, but is extinguished on thesides remote therefrom, thus providing a burned-out strip which acts as a firebreak .to prevent thespread of the main flame beyond the burned-outstrip. The setting of the back fire requires theigniting of the prairie grass, grain field, brush or the like alonga line and extinguishing, of the line of fire along the side of the line remote from the main flame. I

The present invention relates in particular to a device for setting the line offire and simultaneously extinguishing it along .the .side remote from the main flame ina rapid manner and with a minimum of man power. I

In general, according to the invention, the device is provided with a vertically positioned baffle made of metal or similar non-combustible material on one side of which is positioned a flame thrower to throw a flame downwardly onto the ground and sideways fromthe bafiie, and on a the other side of which is positioned a water sprayer for forming a fine spray of water gen-v erally termed a water fog) to throw the water downwardly onto the ground and sideways from the baflle, thus to saturate .the combustible material on the ground on that side of the baffle. A land vehicle is provided for conveying the baffle, flame thrower .and .water sprayer through a field of combustible material with the flame thrower and water sprayer in operation. The result is that the fire is set as the device is, moved along, and at the same time the combustible material on that side of the bafiie carrying the water sprayer is water soaked, so that the fire is extinguished on that side but allowed to progress on the other side.

For .convenience, the 'baflle is carried on a trailer which may be hitched toa truck with the truck carrying .a water supply for the water sprayer and fuel supply for the flame thrower.

The flame thrower and water sprayer are so amended April 30, 1928; 370 .0. G. 757) mounted as to be readily interchangeable in position relative to the land vehicle. This may be accomplished by reversibly mounting. the bafile andattaching the flame thrower and water sprayer to opposite sides of it. It is thus possible by merely properly positioning the baffle to adjust the device so that it may be used on either Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan View of the trailer with the bafiie and its attached parts removed;

Figure 4 is a left side elevation .of the trailer corresponding to Figure 3;

Figure 5 is-an end elevation of the baflie .and attached parts;

Figure 6.is a left side elevation of a modified form of the device;

Figure 7 is a plan view thereof;

Figure 8 is an elevation of the .baflie corresponding to theshowing in Figure 6 but enlarged thereover; and

Figure 9 is an enlarged view corresponding to .Figure 6 but with the baille and parts carried by it reversed. I i

Referring to the first formiof the. device, the

trailerisprovided with a frame H in the form ofa V-shaped member l2 with couplings .and

. I 4 at its forward end for. hitching the trailer to .a truck. Member l2 has cross braces l5 and .16. A downwardly extending U -shaped member H is fastened with its forward leg [8 to brace [-6 and ,its rearward leg 19 to the rearward end of the member I2. Legs l8 and [9 are provided with trough-shaped guides 20 and 21 facing each other, for a purpose later to be described. The frame H is supported .at .its rear by a .c'astor wheel .22 mounted in a bracket 2.3, the bracket resting on a spring 24 to absorb shock.

.U.-shaped member i1 rides a few inches above theground. .In order to prevent member I! from collecting trash or blocking into .rocks or the like when the trailer is pulled over rough terrain, .a

curved deflector 2,5 is fastened at its forward end to the brace l5 and is integral at its rearward end with the bottom of member [1. deflector engages high obstacles and causes the trailer' guides2'9 'and 21..

One side of the baflie carriesa flame thrower. herein shown as of three individual burner units 3|, 32 and 33, fixedly mounted on the baffie, a

pilot light ignited, with the baflie 30 positioned vertical edges downwardly into the U-shaped "and the burners casting the flame.

bracket 34 being used forsecure attachment of a the burner units. As shown, one of the units 32 is positioned to direct the flame downward, while units 3! and. 33 are positioned todirect theflame These individual units are of conto one side.

ventional design and preferably are designed to utilize so-called bottled gas, a form of fuel gas kept liquid by pressurein the storage tank.

The other side of the bafile carries the Water sprayer herein shown as, two individual spray 'nozzles 35 and 36, fixedly mounted on the ballie. 'These nozzles are of conventional design, nozzle 35 being ad ustable by 'a universal type coupler,

' fsofthat it may be set atany desiredangle. Nozzl '36 isshown as fixed.

A deflector plate '40 is positioned :above the "nozzles so that the spray hits it and is turned "back onto the round. Plate 40 is den'iountably attach ed'to bafiie 3B by-aconventionaltype hinged joint having a "removable hinge pin 4!. bracket 42 being provided for supporting the plate 4!) in the desired position. Deflector plate 4|] may be detached when it is desired to remove the vbaiile 30 from the carriage to reverse its position.

The flame thrower is supplied withfuelthrough an upwardly extendin rigid pipe 45. A second upward y extending rigid. pipe 46 supplies fuel 'to a pilot li ht 41. U wardly extending rigid pipes 48 and 49 are provided independently to supply water to the spray nozzles.

The trailer is hitched'to a .truck55 "in any .convenient manner. This truckrnay be a water tank type truck and provided with means for carrying For simplicity in illustration, the

Z pump 58 throu h flexible hose 59 toapanel'board 60. This panel board is carried in any convenient place in the truck near the operator.

.The whole device maybe operated by one man,

in which event the panel board 60 is positioned in thecab near him. The showing o'flthe panel board is schematic.

Hose. 59 is branched at the panel boa-rd, one branch 6'! leading through valve 62 and the other branch .63 through valve 64. Branches 6i and 63 are also flexible and lead to pipes 49 and 4.8,

res ectively. Thus. the operator may, by controlling the valves'52 and .64, supply the nozzles ,35 and .35 with water independently at any desired pressure.

Flexible hose 6'! leads from gas tank 51 to the panel board, thence through a valve 6.8 and a flexible hose 59 to the pipe 45 for supplyingthe flame thrower with fuel. Thus. the operator may by :control of valve 68 control the amountoffuel supplied to the flame thrower. Flexible hose l runsidirectfrom gas tank 51 through a valve H to pipe 46 to supply the pilot light. 'Valyei'll .need not be on the panel board, since ordinarily when the device is usedgthe pilot light is ignited and :burns continuously.

In 'use, the trailer is coupled to the truck, the

in the U-shaped guides 20 and 2|, with the flame thrower and Water sprayer positioned as desired, depending on which side of the main frame the device is to be used for setting the back fire. The operator drives the truck forward along the line ltoibe' backfired with the pump 58 in operation Valves 62 and 64 being opened the desired amount, water from the spray nozzles is ejected as a fog. The zparticontacting the bailie drips from the lower edge, thereof. The result is that the combustible material is thoroughly water soaked on the water .sprayer side ofthe baiile 30, so that the back fire is extinguished on that side but is allowed to progress on the other side.

.In general, the form of device shown in Fi ures 6, 7, 8 and 9 is similar to that before described,

but varies somewhat in the structure of the tra ler.

In this form, the trailer frame 80 is provided withbraced arms 81 and 82 having couplings 83 and 84 at their forward ends. A semi-circular shaped 'beam85,'which maybe in the form ofa bent pipe, is positioned upright and attached at its forward end to "the frame Bil, and is provided with side plates wand 81 fixedly attached thereto to form the battle. In this form the castor wheel "88 is positionedatthe forward'end of the plates 86 and 81. The "semi-circular shame of beam 85 provides 'a deflecting'function similar to that described in reference to member 250i the other form.

'In this modification, the burner units andspray nozzles are similar to those "used in the other modification, but-they'are mounted on a generally 'U-s'haped member as designed to fit over p ates '86 and'81 and he slid downwardly into position with the flame thrower and water sprayer on either side, and heldat its edges by uides 91, 92, 93 and 94 attached to the plates, thus to make readily interchangeable the position of the flame thrower and the water sprayer. In this instance,

the deflector plate 95 need not be detachably connected to the member 90, since there is no Having thus described the invention, What is claimed is:

1. A device for setting and controlling back fires comprising a vertically positioned baffle, a flame thrower positioned on one side of the baffle to throw afiame downwardly and sideways from the baffle onto the ground, a water sprayer positioned on the other side of the battle for forming a spray of water and throwing it downwardly and sideways from the 'ba'fiie onto the ground, and a land vehicle for conveying the bafiie, flame thrower and water sprayer through a field of combustible material with the flame throwerand water sprayer in operation, whereby a fire is set to the combustible material on the ground onone side of the baflie-as the device is moved along and at the same time'the combustible material on the other side of the baffle is water soaked so that the fireis'extingu'ished on the watersoaked side but allowed to progress on the other side, the bafile, flame thrower and water sprayer being so mounted on the land vehicle that the flamethrower and water sprayer may be readily interchanged in position relative to the land vehicle, whereby with thewland vehicle moving forward the fire may be set on either side thereof depending on the position of the flame thrower 7 and Water sprayer, said device being characterized in that the flame thrower and water sprayer are fixedly mounted on the baffle, the baffle has vertical edges, and the land vehicle has troughshaped guides into which the vertical edges are slidably mounted, whereby the baflie may be reversed in position thus to make readilyinterchangeable the position of the flame thrower and water sprayer.

2 A device for setting and controlling back fires comprising a vertically positioned bafiie, a flame thrower positioned on one side of the baffle to throw .a flame downwardly and sideways from the bafllei onto the ground, a water sprayer positioned on the other side of the bafile onto the ground,"f a water sprayer positioned on the other side of the bafile for forming a spray of water and throwing it downwardly and sideways from the bafile onto the ground, and a land vehicle for conveying the bafiie, flame thrower and water sprayer through a field of combustible material with the flame thrower and water sprayer in operation, whereby a fire is set to the combustible material on the ground on one side of the bafiie as the device is moved along and at the same time the combustible material on the other side of the bafile is water soaked so that the fire is extinguished on the water-soaked side but allowed to progress on the other side, the bafile, flame thrower and water sprayer being so mounted on the land vehicle that the flame thrower and water sprayer may be readily interchanged in position relative to'the land vehicle, whereby with the land vehicle moving forward the fire may be set on either side thereof depending on the position of the flame thrower and water sprayer, said device being characterized in that the baliie is fixedly attached to the land vehicle and the flame thrower and water sprayer are mounted on a generally U-shaped member which is slidable downwardly into position over the bafile with the flame thrower and water sprayer on either side, thus to make readily interchangeable the position of the flame thrower and water sprayer.

AMBROSE B. EVERTS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Caswell Apr. 2, 1929 

